changing your heart

©2022 dan bulkley | ask@lifechurchco.com

key principle: jeremiah 3:22

section 1

jeremiah 3:22 nlt

"My wayward children," says the LORD, "come back to Me, and I will heal your wayward hearts."

"Yes, we’re coming," the people reply, "for you are the LORD our God.

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God is the One who actually changes the heart of any human ezekiel 11:19-20  ; we are completely unable to do so ourselves john 15:4-5  . But we get to share in His miraculous work philippians 2:12-13  galatians 5:25  ii peter 1:3-8  as our hearts are transformed by His glorious power ii corinthians 3:18  . So we need to understand, acknowledge and act from faith that the Lord is curing the problem of our heart i peter 2:24-25 .

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supporting scriptures

ezekiel 11:19-20 nlt

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people, and I will be their God.

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john 15:4-5 nlt

Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

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philippians 2:12-13 nlt

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

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galatians 5:25 esv

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

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ii peter 1:3-8 niv84

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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ii corinthians 3:18 niv84

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.

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i peter 2:24-25 esv

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

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key principle: jeremiah 3:23-25

section 2

jeremiah 3:23-25 nlt

Our worship of idols on the hills and our religious orgies on the mountains are a delusion. Only in the LORD our God will Israel ever find salvation. From childhood we have watched as everything our ancestors worked for— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters— was squandered on a delusion. Let us now lie down in shame and cover ourselves with dishonor, for we and our ancestors have sinned against the LORD our God. From our childhood to this day we have never obeyed Him.

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The problem of our sinful hearts are the rival gods our hearts go after that are a destructive waste ecclesiastes 2:10-11  luke 15:17  and deception isaiah 44:19-20  isaiah 46:1-2  jeremiah 2:13 . We must confess and renounce proverbs 28:13  i john 1:8-10  these gods so as not to cling to that which separates us from the only True God ezekiel 11:21  jonah 2:8 .

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supporting scriptures

ecclesiastes 2:10-11 nlt

Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

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luke 15:17 csb

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!

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isaiah 44:19-20 csb

No one comes to his senses; no one has the perception or insight to say, "I burned half of it in the fire, I also baked bread on its coals, I roasted meat and ate. Should I make something detestable with the rest of it? Should I bow down to a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes. His deceived mind has led him astray, and he cannot rescue himself, or say, "Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?"

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isaiah 46:1-2 niv84

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity.

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jeremiah 2:13 esv

...for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

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proverbs 28:13 nlt

People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

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i john 1:8-10 esv

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

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ezekiel 11:21 nlt/esv

But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols....I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.

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jonah 2:8 niv84

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

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my notes:

key principle: jeremiah 4:1-2

section 3

jeremiah 4:1-2 csb

If you return, Israel— this is the LORD’s declaration— you will return to Me, if you remove your abhorrent idols from My presence and do not waver, then you can swear, "As the Lord lives," in truth, justice, and righteousness, and then the nations will be blessed by Him and will boast in Him.

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When we seek the Lord’s change in our hearts we need to do so openly confessing and being boldly honest hebrews 4:12-16  about our ill-motives and sinful actions to keep a clear conscience before the Lord i timothy 1:5  hebrews 9:14  hebrews 10:19-23 ; for if we come in pretense isaiah 29:13  isaiah 48:1  jeremiah 3:10  instead of humble sincerity of our own wicked weakness i corinthians 5:8  depending wholly on His grace ii corinthians 1:12 , we basically mock God as if He does not know isaiah 29:15-16  jeremiah 23:23-24  and He Himself is a false god like other gods. Pretense in relationship is more offensive and hurtful than honest antagonism jeremiah 3:10-11  revelation 3:15-16  psalm 55:12-14 . God will not be mocked with a rival lover for His bride’s heart ezekiel 14:1-8  hosea 2 . Don’t miss the point that our new heart is all about the truthful, loving ii john 1:3  relationship with the Lord jeremiah 31:32-34  jeremiah 32:38-41 . Show trust in Him by being very real about your heart psalm 62:8 .

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supporting scriptures

hebrews 4:12-16 esv

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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i timothy 1:5 csb

Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

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hebrews 9:14 csb

...how much more will the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

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hebrews 10:19-23 esv

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful.

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isaiah 29:13 nlt

And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

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isaiah 48:1 csb

Listen to this, house of Jacob— those who are called by the name Israel and have descended from Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and declare the God of Israel, but not in truth or righteousness.

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jeremiah 3:10 csb

Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn’t return to Me with all her heart — only in pretense.

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i corinthians 5:8 esv

Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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ii corinthians 1:12 esv

For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

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isaiah 29:15-16 nlt

What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their evil deeds in the dark! "The LORD can’t see us," they say. "He doesn’t know what’s going on!"

How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and He is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, "He didn’t make me"? Does a jar ever say, "The potter who made me is stupid"?

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jeremiah 23:23-24 csb

"Am I a God Who is only near" — this is the LORD’s declaration — "and not a God Who is far away? Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?" — the LORD’s declaration. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" — the LORD’s declaration.

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jeremiah 3:10-11 niv84

In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the LORD. The LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah."

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revelation 3:15-16 esv

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

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psalm 55:12-14 esv

For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.

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my notes:

ezekiel 14:1-8 nlt

Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, this message came to me from the LORD:

"Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the LORD, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from Me to worship their detestable idols.’

"Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins. I, the LORD, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject Me and set up idols in their hearts and so fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice. I will turn against such people and make a terrible example of them, eliminating them from among My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

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hosea 2

(Too Long For The Notes: Available In Your Bible)

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ii john 1:3 esv

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

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my notes:

jeremiah 31:32-34 esv

not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

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jeremiah 32:38-41 esv

And they shall be My people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, that they may not turn from Me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all My heart and all My soul.

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psalm 62:8 csb

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah

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my notes:

key principle: jeremiah 4:3

section 4

jeremiah 4:3 nlt

This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.

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If we truly want our hearts to change, the Lord works in us by His Word being applied james 1:21-25  hebrews 5:13-14  into our heart’s daily treasures matthew 6:21 . Each of us has our own challenges to our heart isaiah 28:23-29 ; so as that happens embrace the personal conviction of the Word that breaks up the hard, idolatrous ground in our hearts of stubbornness, pride, selfishness, etc. hebrews 4:11-12 jeremiah 23:22  jeremiah 28-29 . Practice doing, speaking and thinking as the Word says hebrews 5:14  so that our wicked hearts may be further exposed to God’s light ephesians 5:13-14  for our recognition and repentance romans 7:7-13  psalm 19:7-13 and our hearts softened to receive further healing from the Lord acts 3:19-20  jeremiah 3:22 .

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supporting scriptures

james 1:21-25 nlt

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the Word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the Word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

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hebrews 5:13-14 nasb

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

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matthew 6:21 esv

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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isaiah 28:23-29 nlt

Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail...The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.

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hebrews 4:11-12 csb

Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

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jeremiah 23:22 esv

But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

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jeremiah chapters 28-29

(Too Long For The Notes: Available In Your Bible)

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hebrews 5:14 esv

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

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ephsians 5:13-14 csb

Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

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romans 7:7-13 nlt

Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, "You must not covet." But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead.

Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

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my notes:

psalm 19:7-13 esv

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

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acts 3:19-20 esv

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus...

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jeremiah 3:22 nlt

"My wayward children," says the LORD, "come back to Me, and I will heal your wayward hearts."

"Yes, we’re coming," the people reply, "for You are the LORD our God.

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my notes:

key principle: jeremiah 4:3

section 5

jeremiah 4:3 nlt

This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.

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If it is difficult to grow good grapes in a perfectly cared for garden isaiah 5:1-4  why should we think we could be able to develop a godly heart in a life full of hindrances matthew 13:22 ? We can put all the effort in the world to act good, but if we do not at least address the obvious idols ezekiel 14:4  i timothy 6:5  of focus on this world luke 8:14 colossians 3:1-2  philippians 3:19  then we simply will have all our effort choked out. Take practical, severe steps to rid yourself of whatever is impeding your growth in the Lord mark 9:43-50 . The hard work is worth it proverbs 12:11  when we work genuinely to know the Lord proverbs 14:23 ; not merely paying lip service or giving simple appeasement isaiah 64:6-7 . For insincerity is a product of a sinful heart i corinthians 5:7-8 .

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my notes:

supporting scriptures

isaiah 5:1-4 nlt

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about His vineyard: My Beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle He built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then He waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between Me and My vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did My vineyard give Me bitter grapes?

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matthew 13:22 nlt

The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.

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ezekiel 14:4 nlt

Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the LORD, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves.

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i timothy 6:5 esv

... and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

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luke 8:14 csb

As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

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colossians 3:1-2 esv

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

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philippians 3:19 esv

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

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mark 9:43-50 esv

And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell...

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proverbs 12:11 esv

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

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proverbs 14:23 niv84

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

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isaiah 64:6-7 niv84

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on Your name or strives to lay hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

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i corinthians 5:7-8 csb

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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my notes:

key principle: jeremiah 4:4

section 6

jeremiah 4:4 esv

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds."

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So at the core of what we need to do is sacrifice our own sinful desires romans 12:1  luke 9:23  by doing as God wills rather than what we would naturally want romans 6:11-19 . If we begin to plant/practice His desires in our lives hosea 10:12-13  galatians 6:7-10  we will find our joy as His and our wants transforming to be as His i peter 4:1-2  isaiah 58:13-14  psalm 37:4 . For though it is a struggle to do contrary to your own will romans 7:17-8:4  galatians 5:16-17  if you will flee your own sinful desires i peter 2:11  and instead pursue His righteous desires ii timothy 2:22 ; you will find your will conforming to His romans 12:2  and the two of you walking together in loving harmony of reciprocal hearts with each other. amos 3:3  isaiah 1:16-19  galatians 2:20  ii corinthians 5:14-15  psalm 73:23-28 .

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supporting scriptures

romans 12:1 niv84

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

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luke 9:23 esv

And He said to all, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

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romans 6:11-19 nlt

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

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hosea 10:12-13 nlt

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you.

But you have cultivated wickedness and harvested a thriving crop of sins. You have eaten the fruit of lies— trusting in your might...

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galatians 6:7-10 nlt

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

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i peter 4:1-2 csb

Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding — because the one who suffers in the flesh is finished with sin — in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will.

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isaiah 58:13-14 nlt

Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!

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psalm 37:4 esv

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

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my notes:

romans 7:17-8:4 nlt

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.

I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied in us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

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galatians 5:16-17 niv84

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

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i peter 2:11 csb

Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.

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ii timothy 2:22 esv

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

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romans 12:2 niv84

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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amos 3:3 nlt

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?

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isaiah 1:16-19 esv

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

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galatians 2:20 esv

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

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ii corinthians 5:14-15 esv

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him Who for their sake died and was raised.

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psalm 73:23-28 esv

Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to You.

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

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my notes:

your heart’s spiritual circulatory system

section 7

what comes out of your heart is what will go back in

guard your heart!

proverbs 4:23 niv84

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

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ephesians 5:15-20 esv

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...

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ezekiel 18:31 esv

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?

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matthew 15:11 esv

it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.

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matthew 15:18-20 esv

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

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my notes:

james 3:3-6 esv

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

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matthew 12:34-35 csb

Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.

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galatians 6:7-10 nlt

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

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my notes:

hosea 10:12-13 nlt

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you. But you have cultivated wickedness and harvested a thriving crop of sins. You have eaten the fruit of lies— trusting in your might...

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ephesians 4:17-24 csb

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.

But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

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